Many people who would like to use exercise devices find that they do not have sufficient strength to do chin-ups, push ups, squats or other exercises in which their full body weight must be raised against the force of gravity. One solution to this problem is the use of vertical supports, pulleys and wires in which adjustable weights are substituted for body weight or partial body weight. In this invention the body weight is supported on an inclined roller platform assembly.
The inclined roller platform assembly by reason of the angle of inclination supports more of the user's body weight when relatively flat and less of the user's body weight when in a more vertical position. The overhead hand bar assembly may be arranged at different inclinations relative to the inclined roller platform assembly. The exerciser may be used for both stretching and strengthening exercise by adjusting the inclination of the roller platform assembly and the overhead hand bar assembly. The roller platform assembly including a set of interspaced rollers supports a good portion of the body weight when the roller platform assembly is set at an inclination of twenty-five degrees relative to horizontal. The exerciser may be used for chin-ups, sit-ups, squats and like exercises. As part of the body of the user is in contact with the rollers of the roller platform assembly the rollers apply pressure to the portion of the body in contact with the rollers of the roller platform assembly while strengthening and stretching exercises are conducted by grasping a selected transverse support of the overhead hand bar assembly and carrying out sit-ups, chin-ups, squats or stretching exercises. The roller platform assembly includes foot supports which may be used to perform squats and similar exercises where calf and thigh muscles are used to move the body relative to the inclined roller platform.
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,287 to Papapaschalis discloses an exercise device which includes a series of rolling spindles upon which the person using the device rests their body. The patent does not disclose an inclined roller platform assembly with an adjustable incline combination with foot supports as shown in the instant invention. The combination of an inclined roller platform assembly, foot supports and overhead hand bar assembly results in less pressure being exerted by the body on the rolls of the roller bar assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,287. In addition the instant invention provides a framework for a multiplicity of strengthening and stretching exercises requiring different force not available on the rolling spindles of the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,287 to Papapaschalis. U.S. Pat. No. 1,836,981 issued to W. A. Matheson for an invention entitled "Massaging and Exercising Apparatus". This invention discloses a roller platform having a series of rollers extending from side to side of the roller platform. Handles 36 may be utilized to move the user back and forth over the rollers. Another exercise which may be performed is a rowing exercise. U.S. Pat. No. 1,836,981 does not disclose an inclined roller platform assembly in which the incline relative to horizontal may be adjusted between 25 and 75 degrees, nor does U.S. Pat. No. 1,836,981 disclose an overhead hand bar assembly which may be adjusted relative to the inclined roller platform assembly to provide different hand grip positions for the user as disclosed in the exerciser of this invention. The current invention provides an exerciser on which many different types of strengthening or stretching exercises may be performed. The vertical adjustment of the exerciser may be controlled to increase or decrease the strenuousness of the exercise.